Ergonomic interventions for work in a sitting position: an integrative review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Ergonomics
• Musculoskeletal Health

Background:

• Prolonged sitting in the workplace is common and can lead to musculoskeletal system overload.
• Ergonomics is crucial for optimizing the worker-environment relationship and improving health conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review evidence on ergonomic interventions for seated workers' musculoskeletal systems.
• To assess the impact of various ergonomic strategies on worker health and task performance.

Main Methods:

• Integrative review of studies published between 2010-2019.
• Searched LILACS, MEDLINE, PubMed, SciELO, and CINAHL databases.
• Included 14 selected articles from an initial 183, analyzing interventions like exercise, postural guidance, and furniture adjustments.

Main Results:

• Interventions included physical exercise programs, postural and ergonomic guidance, and furniture configuration.
• Facilitating instruments and supporting devices were also part of the interventions.
• Qualitative analysis organized findings by intervention type, while quantitative analysis assessed study quality.

Conclusions:

• Ergonomic interventions positively impacted workers' physical conditions.
• The reviewed strategies made work tasks more suitable for individuals in sitting positions.
• Ergonomic approaches are effective in mitigating risks associated with prolonged sitting at work.